"If you remember the Barcelona team he managed in the late 1990s, they played incredible, attacking football.

"Those games we had against them in the Champions League in 1998/99, that's the kind of football Manchester United fans love. It's part of our DNA.

"The second part of what he likes is giving youth a chance. He's got a track record littered with giving young players a break in the first team, who have gone on to be stars. Clearly that's Manchester United's philosophy and we want him to continue with that.

"We've got someone who has confidence in himself about making difficult decisions and when you boil down what makes a great manager, one of the key characteristics is making difficult decisions. We've clearly got a manager who can do that.

"I'm hearing a lot of good feedback from a lot of people about him and there is a huge amount of goodwill towards him and the coaching staff."

Woodward is pleased that Van Gaal decided to retain United legend Ryan Giggs as his assistant after the Welshman took caretaker charge at the end of last season following Moyes' sacking.

He added: "It was a very easy conversation to have with Louis about Ryan. He said he wanted Ryan to be in his group.

"It's very important to us as a club that we have continuity and Ryan is the perfect person. He did a great job in the set-up last year and has obviously been at the club for a long time, so we're very pleased about that.

"There is real unity in the squad and Louis clearly has something to give in terms of the special way he has with his players when it comes to binding the team together.

"We've seen that already with the steps he's taken with the preparation and the training.

"He's going to deliver exactly what we expect him to deliver and in conjunction with Ryan, who has that great understanding of all these players."